JeepGirl Travel Tips

Get Fit While Driving

Tummy toner – Sit up straight in the seat in a normal driving
position. Breathe in deeply into your lower abdomen. Now instead of
exhaling, push the air up to your chest, filling your upper lungs.
Now slowly exhale. You will feel your posture improve and get a big
rush of energy by doing this exercise. Don’t be surprised if you
have to readjust your mirrors due to a higher seating position.

Tummy toner two – the vacuum- Inhale normally, lean forward a
bit, exhale normally but right at the end blow out just a little
more very quickly. Then sit up before the next inhale. As an
alternate try sitting up while making the extra exhale.

Deer exercise. – Most girls are familiar with the benefits of
Kegel exercises. Squeeze your pubococcygeus or "PC"
muscles while driving. Do these while driving to arrive toned and
energetic. Guys get great benefits form these exercises as well.

Steering wheel isometrics. Grasp the wheel firmly in both hands.
Push in like you are trying to crush the wheel. Now lean forward and
pull out like your are trying to stretch the wheel. Be sure to do
this exercise only on a straight section of road or at very low
speed. These exercises will help firm the chest and upper arm
muscles.

Steering wheel curls. Grip the wheel with both hands near the base
of the wheel. Pull up and toward you. Don’t pull too hard, as it
is easy to damage the steering shaft this way. Just pull enough to
flex your biceps and shoulders.

Stress reduction – if you are getting tired or stressed, try
tapping your head. Use the fingertips of one hand to tap your head
just above the hair line while you steer with the other hand. Tap
firmly but not painfully. The object is to stimulate the blood flow
in the scalp. Tap while saying to your self "I release this
stress and I choose to relax and be happy in this moment." For
even more thorough tapping try EFT.

Eye exercise – Nothing gets more stress while driving than your
eyes. Blink often to keep them wet. Move them around while driving
instead of staring straight ahead. Use a pattern like ahead, mirror,
ahead, instruments, ahead, left, ahead, right, ahead, mirror, etc.
When rubbing the eyes start by placing your index and middle fingers
on the bridge of your nose. With firm and steady pressure move
outward along the eyebrow and then down the cheekbone. Follow the
cheekbone around to the nose and back up to the bridge. Never
reverse the circle, as it will cause the tender skin under the eye
to get stretched and look baggy.

Toe Wiggling – while seated and operating foot controls, fluid
stagnates in the feet. Wiggling your toes will help pump the fluid
out of your feet and back where it belongs. Pay attention to the
position of your toes while driving so that you do not keep your
toes curled or extended for any length of time.

While taking a break - exercises:

Leg stretch: Stand on one foot and place the heel of the other
foot on the bumper of the Jeep. Bend over and touch your toe. Change
legs and repeat. This movement helps to relax the calf and thigh
muscles that become contracted while operating the foot controls.
Lymph stagnates in the legs while driving and this movement helps to
get it flowing again. It is best practiced when first stepping out
of the Jeep.

Twists: Stand with slightly bent knees. Hands at your sides.
Relax. Twist your waist back and forth swinging your arms out fully
letting them flail along. This seemingly simple movement has many,
many benefits. First it helps to realign your back, especially the
vertebrae in the lumbar region. These vertebras get compressed while
driving. Second, it gives your internal organs a good massage,
helping them do a more efficient job. This internal massage leads to
improved circulation and better digestion.

Calf Stretch: If you are ever prone to heel spurs (plantar
fasciitis) or just want to make sure you don’t, do these simple
stretches while pumping gas or anywhere where you may have to stand
for a couple of minutes. Find a curb – like the one the gas pump
sits on – and place your toes on the curb and your heel on the
surface below. Rock your weight forward until you feel a slight
stretch in the tendon or your calf. Don’t push too hard just feel
it stretch and hold for at least 20 seconds. Repeat with the other
leg. If your don’t have a curb handy, use your tire. Place your
toe on the tire with your heel on the ground. Lean forward to feel
the stretch.

Arches: Stand about three feet from the side of the Jeep facing
away from it. Reach up with your hands over your head. Arch your
back and reach behind you to grab the rain gutter or roof rack. Lean
on back trying to touch your head to the window. Hold for at least
30 seconds. This exercise is a great overall stretch. It eliminates
most back pain due to driving and is an excellent tummy toner as
well. Once you get more advanced, try stretching to the hood or
bumper.

Fender push-ups: Stand about three feet away from the fender of
the Jeep facing it this time. Keep your legs and back straight and
lean over and support your weight on the fender. Now, bend your
elbows in a push up motion. This will give you a light shoulder tone
up and enhance circulation. For move advanced, try using the bumper.
The stock front bumper on a Cherokee does not work well for this but
there rear one can be used with the hatch open. If you have a winch,
it may stick put far enough for your head to clear.